Missions, Letters, and Bloody Owls
by Pottergirl101
Summary: Lily and James are happily married, and Lily is pregnant. But what happens when James is called away on a longterm mission just six months before Lily's due date? Will he get back in time? Rated M for saftey, could probably pass with T, but whatever.


"Lil's! How's my favorite pregnant girl, eh?" asked a particularly handsome young man whose black, shaggy hair fell casually into his blue eyes.

Lily looked up from her paperwork to see Sirus entering her office. She smiled as he grabbed a chair, flipped it around, and sat down with his chest leaning against the chair's back.

"Favorite, huh? I'm really not quite sure about that. Why, just the other night I'm positive that it wasn't _my_ name that James and I heard when we arrived back at our flat two days ago," Lily answered with a smirk.

She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward so her face was only a few inches from his. If the man in front of her had been anyone other than one of the Marauders, particularly James, she would never have gotten so close in proximity to their face. Sirius knew this, and gave her a devilish smirk, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"In fact," Lily continued. "I do believe you were screaming the name 'Dana'."

Sirius yawned and lengthened the space between their faces by leaning back in his chair. "Yes, well _I_ believe that if James heard me yelling 'Lily, you're the best!' in derision that I would probably be a pretty pile of droppings in the sewers by now."

"Well, tut, tut. So Dana is your favorite person," Lily clarified.

Sirius gave her a look that clearly said 'Are you kidding me?'. "Nah, I'm with Aubrey now. She's much better than Dana."

Lily held up her hands in mock defeat. "You move too fast, Sirius Dear. But, I agree. If James found you saying that, you would be three feet below the Earth by now."

"If I found Sirius saying what?"came a sudden voice.

Lily and Sirus turned to see James leaning against the doorway of Lily's office. He had a yellow assignment folder in his arms and his wand was hanging lopsided in it's holster which was carelessly tied to one of the belt loops of his cropped jeans. A grin graced his handsome features.

"Oh, nothing." said Sirius in a tone that suggested he could care less. "Lily was just saying that you would kill me if you found her wooing me in the bedroom."

James snorted and ruffled his hair. "Damn straight I would!" He strode over to Lily's desk and effortlessly plucked her from her chair, sat down, and replaced her in his lap. "This little minx is for my eyes and pleasure only."

"Oh, really?" asked Lily, leaning up and kissing him softly. "Then I guess you don't want to hear how naughty Sirius is when you aren't available." She shot Sirius a smile and lowered her voice. "Because you know what they say . . . huge hands, huge– "

"OKAY!" James shouted in a strangled voice amongst Sirius's laughter. "I do NOT want to hear about that from my wife! I mean, Merlin! It's a good thing the baby can't hear anything when it's inside Lily." He glared playfully at his best mate and put an arm around Lily. "You have been spending way too much time with my girl, Black."

"Yes, well," Sirius paused, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Can you blame her?"

James rolled his eyes, retrieving his wand from it's holder. "Out, Padfoot!" He waved his wand in a mock menacing way. "Give me some alone time with Lils, here."

Sirius held up his hands in defense and stood up, stretching annoyingly slow. With a dramatic, fake sigh, he said, "Oh, fine. I shall retire. But remember, Prongsie. My hands are bigger than yours . . ."

"Close the door on the way out, you ol' dog!" James laughed as his friend closed the door with a snap. He glanced down at Lily who gazed up at him in an amused way. "Hello, Lady Lily."

"And you, Good Sir." she replied with a curt nod.

There was a small silence until Lily gave a small gasp as James lifted her up and kissed her, hungrily devouring her lips. She responded almost immediately, teasingly running her tongue along the outline of his lower lip until he shuddered. When she finally pulled away, his normally warm hazel eyes seemed a tad darker behind his glasses.

"Now, then." he muttered, reaching up to tuck a strand of her fiery hair away from her face. "I'm positive Sirius can't kiss like that."

Lily giggled and gave him another kiss. This one was much shorter, but she knew she reached her goal when he groaned and pulled away. "Absolutely, positively positive?"

"As positive as I can be without kissing him first-hand, anyway." He grinned and looked down at her lips.

She barely managed to say 'I guess that answer will suffice.' before he was kissing her again.

* * *

Lily left the auror office early that night, having finished her work earlier than usual. James hadn't been able to leave because he was called to the main office to receive new assignment information.

Although she was only three and a half months pregnant, she didn't want to hurt the baby by apparatting. Instead Lily flooed to the manor that she, James, and Sirius shared. Some people thought it was odd that Sirius lived in the same house as the married couple, but the arrangement was not the original plan.

When James's parents died, he inherited the manor and, when the Marauders and Lily graduated from Hogwarts, he invited everybody to live with him in the large home. Peter ended up not moving in because his grandmother was sick more often than not so he instead bought a small flat closer to her confines. Remus actually still lived in the manor, but was on long Order of the Phoenix missions and was almost never home. Then James proposed to Lily who, of course, accepted happily. They did not want to ask Sirius to move out of the ten-bedroom mansion and instead begged him to continue his stay. All of this led to the happy roommates that were Sirius, James, Lily, and sometimes Remus when he was home.

Lily smiled as she stepped out of the grand fireplace in the sitting room of their home. With a wave of her wand the lights flicked on, bathing her face in a warm healthy glow. Lily sighed heartily and made her way to the kitchen. A muggle clock on the wall told her that it was only 8:30, therefore meaning that James would not be home for an hour or two.

Setting her small stack of paperwork onto the kitchen counter, Lily helped herself to an apple. While she idly turned the apple's stem until it popped off, Lily realized how quiet it was. It was then she realized that Sirius wasn't home. She grinned, taking a bite of her apple. _He's probably at Aubrey's house_, she thought, chewing thoughtfully.

Sirius probably had a new girl every four days, if not sooner. His longest relationship consisted of a 'friends with benefits' fling that lasted roughly three months. When Remus and James asked their buddy why the relationship had lasted so long, Sirius had only replied, "The sex was fan-bloody-tastic."

Sex. That was pretty much the only thing on Sirius's mind. At age twenty-two Sirius perfectly resembled a hormone-crazed seventeen year-old. Hell, when Sirius was fifteen he resembled a hormone-crazed seventeen year-old. It was just the way his mind worked and, come to think of it, so did James's.

_I'm just a woman stuck in a huge manor with two, sex-addicted men. No wonder I'm pregnant_, Lily thought with a smile. Ironically enough, Sirius was partly to blame for Lily conceiving her baby.

It had been three and a half months ago, sometime in November. Sirius had caught a terrible cold with the whole works: coughing, sneezing, aching joints, and dizziness. In his disoriented state, he unknowingly drank Lily's birth control potion instead of the pepper-up potion which just _happened_ to be in a similar bottle.

Lily had walked in, ready to take a new dose of her monthly potion and, seeing Sirius drinking what appeared to be pepper-up potion, grasped and drank the wrong flask. It would have of course been smart to verify that she was drinking the correct potion, but who would have thought Sirius would drink Aphrodite's Love-to-Love birth control potion? And so, when James had come home from the office that night wanting some private time with his wife, Lily was not only virus free but also protection free. The rest was history.

There was however, a small side-effect from the potion that Sirius drank. As it was not meant for men, Sirius had woken up the next morning with two new developments. James still had a black-mail picture hidden behind the broomshed for safekeeping. After all, who wouldn't want to possess a picture of Sirius gaping down at a pair of women's breasts poking out from his night-shirt? What a wonderfully humorous trip to St. Mungos it was!

Lily snorted at the memory, nearly choking on her last bite of apple. She tossed the core into the rubbish bin and glanced again at the clock. It was still only 8:45. Lily stretched and decided to make her way to James's and her bedroom.

She silently pulled off her robes, folded them, and placed them on a chair beside the closet. She did the same with her sweater, but tossed her jeans and socks in the hamper. Lily then pulled on a fluid-like silk nightgown and headed into the adjoining bathroom. Within a few minutes, her face was washed, her teeth brushed and flossed, and she was ready for bed.

Lily pulled back the deep emerald covers of her bed and slid between the cool sheets. She kept the light beside her alight with full intentions to stay awake until James came home. But her heavy eyes closed despite the bight light, and she soon only had her dreams to keep her company.

* * *

Lily awoke several hours later to the sounds of her husband in the bathroom. When she glanced at the clock she was shocked to see that it read 2:04 AM. _Did James just get back?_ Lily thought worriedly.

The bathroom sink turned off, and James appeared in the doorway. His hazel eyes were tired, and he was clad only in a pair of black sweat pants. "Did I wake you?" he asked, setting down the towel he was using to dry his hands.

Lily yawned and tried to reassure him. "No, I woke up because I was . . . Cold." She tilted her head slightly to the side and stared, scrutinizing her husband. "Are you okay? You seem . . . I don't know." she mused aloud.

James sighed and strode forward, crawling onto the bed and pulling her near until Lily was nestled besides him. "Lils, I . . . I have some bad news." he whispered dully.

Lily's brow furrowed, and she looked up into his eyes. Now that he was closer, he seemed to be filled with . . . guilt? "Bad . . . bad news?"

"Yeah. I got my new assignment. The problem is that it's . . . Shit, it's a long-term mission in the States." he finished in a rush.

Lily was speechless. It seemed that her throat was clogged up with cotton and she couldn't breath. But James was gazing at her, waiting for her to say something. Lily finally managed a strangled, "Oh."

James swallowed, his eyes furrowing with worry. "Lily, I–"

"Exactly how long-term is it, James?" Lily asked in a small voice, cutting him off. She was unconsciencely sliding away from him even though she knew that it was not his fault.

James shook his head. "I don't know. The Chief only said I should be prepared to not be back for a few months."

"A FEW MONTHS?! Is that few as in two, or few as in multiple?" Lily burst out, jumping from the bed and pacing.

James shrugged and stepped off the bed, watching his wife in her hysterics. "Most likely more than three." he said softly with a grimace.

"Well, can I at least write to you?" she asked, even when she knew perfectly well what the answer would be.

James sighed, his eyes solemn. "No. It's undercover."

Instead of continuing to yell and pace angrily, Lily stopped in her tracks, breathing in great, shuddering breaths. James could only see her back, but when her shoulders started to shake he was immediately at her side, hugging her close and stroking her long auburn hair.

"Oh, James," Lily sobbed into his shoulder. "The baby is g-going to be born in six m-months! What if you're not b-back and—"

"Shhhh. Don't worry about it, Lily. I would never, and I'm going to repeat this incase you didn't quite hear me the first time, _never_ miss the birth of our baby. Okay?" James bent his head down to kiss her tears away, his hand rubbing her back in soothing circles. "Let me make it up to you . . ." he whispered softly into her ear.

"No, I don't think . . ." she trailed off as his lips brushed hers, tenderly nibbling her worries away.

"Please," he whispered again, this time rather huskily. "This is the last time before I have to leave tomorrow."

She never answered clearly, but instead wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his thick locks. Somehow James ended up gathering Lily in his arms and placing her on the bed. Straddling her, he kissed his way down her neck, his hands trailing past her collar bone, grazing her breasts. Lily brought her hands up and brushed her fingers across his bare back, enjoying how he moaned when she touched his skin and tensed when she skimmed her fingertips just enough so he could still feel her touch.

James slowly moved his way down her body, kissing here and nibbling there, pushing the fabric of her nightgown higher as he went. He paused when he reached her abdomen, and glanced up at his wife lovingly. It was only a few moments before his lips were on her skin again, trailing hot kisses all over her stomach, right where their baby was growing.

"I love you, Lily." he whispered, crawling back up to kiss her lips. She gave a sharp intake of breath as he slowly pulled the nightgown off completely.

"I love you too, James." Lily gasped, not being able to stop the tears from leaking out of her eyes.

James didn't say anything, but instead kissed the tears away, nuzzling her neck and relishing the feeling of her soft hair on his face and chest. It was only a matter of time before their breathing quickened, their heart rates sped up, and the two were carried away in a flurry of lust, passion, and love.

* * *

James gazed thoughtfully at his wife, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as the morning light sent a glow across her freckled skin. It was 7:04 in the morning, and though he knew he had to get up to start packing he really didn't want to let Lily go. James sighed deeply and pulled back the blankets carefully as to not wake up Lily. After pulling on a clean pair of boxers, he left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

The floor creaked under his bare feet as he made his way towards the kitchen. It was only when he was about a yard or so away that he realized Sirius was awake and making breakfast. His assumptions were proved true as he stepped through the doorway to see Sirius nursing a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin.

"Morning, Padfoot," James said tiredly.

Sirius glanced up and, seeing James, smiled. "Morning to you too, Prongs." He motioned to James's boxers. "What's with the lack of attire? Get lucky last night with Lily Flower?"

James sat down in the barstool beside his friend and placed his head in his hands. "Sirius, I got assigned to the States assignment." he said, his words muffled behind his hands.

Sirius dropped his playful tone and answered, "The long-term one? Ooh, ouch. Lils must be quite worried, what with the baby on the way and everything."

James dropped his hands and turned to glare at Sirius. "I know, Padfoot, I know! Don't make it any worse than it already is by reminding me!" he snapped.

Sirius didn't reply but instead stood to pour James a cup of coffee. "I'm sure everything will work out in the end. I mean, I'll still be here with Lily. You've got nothing to worry about, mate," Sirius said reassuringly.

James shut his eyes and shook his head, then took a sip from the cup Sirus handed to him. "I sure hope so, Padfoot."

* * *

The first two weeks of James's absence were, to Lily's surprise, not as unbearable as she originally had thought it would be. The reason could of course have been because she poured herself into her work, not coming home until the early hours of the morning and leaving for work at seven each day. It was around the time that James had been gone for a month when Sirius started to worry about her.

"Lily?" he asked, gently touching her arm and shaking her awake. The two were in the dining room eating breakfast. Lily had just asked Sirius to touch up her coffee, but when he had returned he'd found his friend sleeping, face lying inches away from her plate of eggs.

"Lils?" Sirius tried again, and this time she started to stir. "Lily, I don't think you should go to work today." he advised softly.

Lily was awake within seconds, brushing crumbs from her face. "No, no. I'm fine, Sirius. Really."

"No. You're not fine, Lily. You're a mess. How can you not be when you're averaging about three and a half hours of sleep every night? I mean, even I get more than that, and that's with Denise in bed with me." he said, trying to lighten her up a bit.

He succeeded. Her lips turned up at the ends, but only briefly because she yawned soon after. Denise was Sirius's new fling. A pretty brunette with a wardrobe that consisted of miniskirts and tube-tops. Lily wondered wear the witch put her wand.

"C'mon, Lily Flower. We're going to stay home today. Actually, I have an idea for you." he said, hoisting her out of her seat and leading her into the sitting room.

Lily yawned again and sat down on the couch. "What kind of idea?"

"Well," Sirius said as he pulled of Lily's shoes and took her wand. "I know how much you miss James."

"Do you?" Lily asked softly, accepting the blanket that Sirius was handing to her.

Sirius nodded and tucked a pillow under her fiery tresses. "Yeah. And I think that maybe, after you take a nap, you could write him a letter."

"Oh, Sirius. You know we can't communicate." Lily whispered sadly, closing her eyes.

Sirius sat down on the couch opposite her, fingering her wand carefully. "Just because you can't send them doesn't mean you can't write to him, Lils."

"Hmm, hmm." was all the redhead muttered before she fell into a much deserved and needed sleep.

_

* * *

_

_Dear James,_

_You will not believe how much I miss you. I miss you wild hair, your hazel eyes, and that cocky grin of yours. I even miss the way you ruffle your hair or try to show off for me. This just goes to show how long you've been gone, Mister!_

_Sirius has been good to me, so you don't have to worry too much. And no, I'm not just writing this because he's reading over my shoulder. (He is, HE IS!) Sirius is actually the one who talked me into writing you this letter, and possibly more, in the first place. Surprisingly I'm feeling better just thinking about you reading this, even if I can't send it to you. So, from here on out, I'm going to write as if you WILL read it._

_Well, you've been gone a month today. I don't know how much longer you'll be, but I'm starting to show just a tiny bit. I'm only four and a half months pregnant, but pretty soon I'm going to go see a Healer to find out the sex of the baby. (Sirius is laughing because I wrote 'sex'. James, if you laughed after you read that, this is for your two buffoons. SEX, SEX, SEX! Idiots.)_

_I'm not exactly sure what sex . . . Shut up, Sirius! I'm not sure what GENDER I want the baby to be. We never really discussed that, did we, James. But now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that I'd want a boy. Besides, I can't imagine any child of ours not inheriting your mop of untamable hair which would probably look much better on a boy than a girl. Well, I'm still rather tired, so I think I'll end this right about now. I know I'm going to write another letter soon, anyway. I love you, James! Come back as soon a possible!_

_With all my love,_

_Your Lily_

_

* * *

_

_Dear James,_

_It's been another month since my last letter to you. Sirius suggested I write the letters every month so that I have something to look forward to. And so, you've been gone for two entire months. And Merlin, when I said I missed you before, I REALLY miss you now. Words don't even describe, James._

_Well, I went to the Healer two weeks ago. And– well, I decided not to find out the gender of the baby. I couldn't bear finding out without you beside me. Don't worry, though. I didn't go alone, Sirius took me. We got to see our child on the magical monitor which was absolutely breathtaking. You can just make out the head and maybe even a few limbs. Sirius is taking me back next month, which will hopefully be your last month gone, right? I'm keeping my fingers crossed, James._

_I had to turn down an assignment today at work. Sirius made me, even though I really, really wanted to take it! Now that I think about it, Sirius was probably right. It wouldn't have been good if I did something to hurt the baby while out on a mission and I know you would never forgive yourself if something happened to me while you were away. But you shouldn't worry, your best mate is taking good care of me AND the baby._

_Speaking of the baby again, I had to go down to Diagon Alley yesterday to buy some new clothes. Can you believe that I don't fit into most of my clothing, now? I sure hope I'm not getting fat . . . Okay, Sirius has just reassured me that I – these are his exact words– "Still look sexy enough to eat". You should come back soon, James. I don't know how long I can keep Sirius from ravishing me right here . . . I love you and only you! Fine, I love you as a friend, Sirius. _

_Love always,_

_Your Flower_

_

* * *

_

_Dear James,_

_Well, it's the third month! I really hope you'll be back within the next couple of days. Though, you may not recognize me. I've gained twenty pounds already! And I'm only six and a half months pregnant! I'm so big I've actually started to wear your clothes instead of buying new ones again. I hope you don't mind. Maybe the fact that I'm wearing your boxers right now will encourage you to come home sooner._

_I've decided on some names for the baby. Four names in all, two names for each gender. The first name is Emma. My Great Grandmother's name was Emma, and I would really like to name the baby after her if it's a girl. However, if you don't like the name Emma, then I also like Megan. We could call her Meg for short. I don't really have a reason for why I like the name Megan. I just . . . do. Oh, and by the way, I'm not naming the baby Lily if it's a girl. I'm not very fond of my name, so I'd appreciate it if we didn't name it Lily. Period, James._

_And now for boy names. Firstly, I really love the name Harry. Just think of it: Harry James Potter. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? A nice strong name, if you ask me. The other option is . . . Sirius apparently wants us to name our firstborn (If it is a boy) Sirius, after himself. Now, before you agree, James, do you really want your son going up to you and saying, "No, I'm Sirius!" every time you say, "I'm serious!". I mean, seriously! Don't even consider it, James Potter!_

_Well, I hope you'll be home soon to discuss the names with me. I want to hear your input too! Please come home, James! I really, really miss you! I love you as well!_

_Hoping you'll be back,_

_Lils_

_

* * *

_

_Dear James,_

_WHERE IN MERLIN'S NAME ARE YOU, MISTER?! It's been four months. Four months, James! Do you have any idea how worried I am right now? Sick! I' worried sick that you're hurt or . . . or dead! Please be okay, James, please! I can't raise this baby on my own. He/she will need their father!_

_I am seven and a half months pregnant today, exactly. I don't even look at myself in the mirror anymore because I feel as though I'd rival a beached whale in size. Once again Sirius is mentioning how sexy I am, but I think it's only because the last time he said something even remotely wrong I threw a frying pan at his head. Don't worry, he's fine. But he certainly deserved it!_

_We both went down to Diagon Alley today and bought a crib for the baby. You'd love it, James. It's this deep mahogany that's almost the same as the bed in our room. We also bought the matching rocking chair, changing table, and dresser. Sirius is upstairs putting the furniture together right now. I sure hope he doesn't break anything!_

_The room I decided to make the nursery is the room across from ours. You know, the one with the balcony facing the grounds? I put up some lovely curtains this morning, and I have yet to buy the bedding for the crib. I may just buy some sort of Quidditch ones– that would make you happy, huh?_

_Please come back soon, James! Please, please, please, please, please! The baby and I could really use you right now! I love you, and I sincerely hope that you aren't hurt!_

_With all my love,_

_Your Lily Flower_

_

* * *

_

_Dear James,_

_What happened to a little over three months, eh? IT'S BEEN FIVE MONTHS! FIVE, James, FIVE! At this point in time I'm rather hoping you're hurt because by the time you get back here I WILL hurt you if you aren't injured already!_

_My due date is in two weeks, James. I'm eight and a half months pregnant. I went on maternity leave from work two days ago because of it. The baby is kicking all the time now. It's really quite an exhilarating feeling, I tell you. But lately I've been feeling the worst heartburn whenever I eat certain foods. I actually think it's because I stopped cooking last week when Sirius told me I would over exhaust my self if I continued to do too much. _

_But, well, I think it's his cooking that's giving me heartburn. I mean, the pancakes this morning seemed really good, but ever since I've been getting theses REALLY bad stomach pains. And when I say really, I mean REALLY bad. I– Oh, my gosh! James, I think I'm in labor! I– _

* * *

Lily dropped the quill, and bent over slightly, moaning because she was in so much pain. "Sirius! Sirius!" she screeched.

There was the sound of a door slamming, and then hurried footsteps as Sirius ran into the sitting room where he found Lily, hunched over in pain. "Lily? Lils, what's the matter?" He reached out a hand to pull her up.

"I think I'm–" Lily stopped speaking when she felt a warm liquid gushing down her legs, pooling on the floor and all over Sirius's shoes.

"Uh, Lily? You could have told me you needed to go to the bathroom, I would have helped you sooner." he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, you twit! I didn't pee myself, my water just broke!" Lily started to cry, her chest heaving up and down.

Sirius's eyes widened. "Oh, holy mother of . . . We have to get you to St. Mungos, Lily."

"No," Lily stated firmly. "This baby is not coming out of me until James is here."

Sirius shook his head and started to walk with her towards the fireplace. "Lily, be reasonable. We have to get you to the hospital immediately. With or without James, you can't stop the baby from coming." he said, though rather sadly. "We are going to have to owl St. Mungos right now to tell them to get you a room ready, and then we'll floo on over there."

Lily took a great, shuddering breath, and nodded. "Okay, let me get my bag . . . Oh, and some parchment! I'm going to finish that letter and call James every foul name there is to call him! I'll also write to him after the birth to tell him what the baby looks like, so get some fresh parchment as well."

Sirius smiled briefly. "Alright, where did you leave the letter?" he asked hurriedly. "And there's new parchment, where?"

"The letter is on the coffee table, and there should be parchment in the drawer with the other letters to James." replied Lily, who was breathing steadily.

Sirius rushed over into the dinning room, leaving Lily by the fireplace. A few minutes later, Lily heard Sirius shout, "There's no letter in here, Lily! And I can't find the other letters either."

"WHAT?" asked Lily, and she hobbled into the dinning room. "But I need that letter!"

Sirius shrugged and grabbed her arm. "Forget it, Lils, we just need to owl St. Mungos and– Where the bloody hell is James's owl?"

Lily spun around to see an empty cage, the wire door hanging open. "Oh, this is just great! Just bloody, freaking, GRAND! My letters have mysteriously disappeared, that stupid, IDIOT owl has decided to go hunting at precisely the same time my water breaks, I– OH!"

Lily's knees buckled, but Sirius was there to catch her before she hit the ground. "It's okay, Lily. Breath in, breath out. That's good . . . Damn, we need that bloody owl! Oh, sod it! We'll just head down right there now!"

"Ow, ow, ow! Oh, Merlin, it hurts, Sirius!" Lily moaned, burying her head into his shoulder. "I NEED DRUGS!"

Sirius jumped at Lily's sudden outburst, and as soon as Lily's contraction ended, helped the red-head hobble into the fireplace. Grasping a handful of floo powder, Sirius through it into the fireplace and shouted, "St. Mungos, Maternity Wing!"

The two disappeared in a flash of green light just as the door to the manor opened and a dark-haired figure sprinted into the room, an owl perched precariously on his shoulder.

* * *

"Ouchhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" Sirius yelped as Lily squeezed onto his hand while her contraction ended.

"Oh, you think that's painful? Try having a seven-pound baby make it's way out of your vagina, then you can say ouch!" Lily screeched.

The Healer who was writing something down on his clipboard momentarily glanced up at Sirius, who was staring at Lily in shock. "Don't worry, they usually say much worse things then that. In a few minutes she'll probably be saying she'll want to divorce you."

Lily glared at the healer, but it was Sirius who said, "I'm not her husband."

The Healer looked confused for a moment, and glanced between Lily and Sirius. "Oh, my apologies. But, if you don't mind me asking, if you're not the husband, then who is?"

"I am." came a voice from the doorway.

Lily couldn't believe her ears. After five months of not hearing her husband's voice, the mere sound was like heaven. She whipped her head around so fast that her neck cracked.

"JAMES?!" both she and Sirius nearly shouted.

James was standing in the doorway of the hospital room, eyes tired but filled with happiness as he looked at his wife and best friend. His robes were in a terrible state, completely torn and riddled with mud and goop. But he was grinning ear-to-ear all the same. In four strides he reached Lily who was sobbing with joy.

She wrapped her arms around him so tightly that Sirius stated, "Lils, you're choking him!" But Lily didn't care. However, it only took her a few seconds to remember how long he had been gone for, and she pulled back and slapped his cheek.

"Oh, well . . . I guess I deserved that." James rubbed the side of his face, but all the same leaned down and kissed Lily's sweaty cheek. "I am beyond sorry, Lils." he said, brushing her hair away from her face. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Yeah, well you'd better be sorry." she said, smiling.

"Well, I'm sorry to break this little reunion, but Mrs. Potter here has to start pushing." said the Healer, who was sliding on a pair of rubber gloves.

Her smile was soon gone when she began to feel another contraction build up. "Oh! Oh, crap, not another one!"

"Okay, push!" stated the Healer.

Sirius grimaced and stretched his hand before Lily grasped both his and her husband's fingers. "Oh, Merlin! This is all your fault, Sirius! Had you not drunken the wrong potion I would not be in this situation!"

Sirius frowned, his face contorted as she squeezed even harder. "Hey! It was your husband who did this, not me!" he defended himself.

"James Potter! I will never have sex with you ever again! Ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER! Just go away, I don't want to see you anymore!" Lily shouted, her eyes closed in pain.

James glanced at Sirius who shrugged, then made to stand up. But as he did, Lily started to sob. "No, please don't leave me. I need you, James, don't go. Stay, stay."

It was a funny sight, the two good-looking men being shouted at by the petite red-head as she fought the painful battle of childbirth and the men the pain of broken fingers. It was hours later that the baby finally arrived, screaming as it entered the new world.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. You have a baby boy." The Healer wrapped the newborn into a crisp, white blanket and deposited him into the arms of an exhausted Lily.

"Oh, James. Isn't he adorable?" Lily sighed, gazing down at her baby son, James and Sirius by her sides.

"He really is something, isn't he, Padfoot?" James mused, brushing his fingers across the baby's cheek.

Sirius shifted. "Well, actually, I think he looks like some sort of bald chicken."

Lily frowned, her red-head temper getting the better of her again. "Do you WANT me to break your other hand?"

"Oh, _now_ I see it. He's absolutely precious. But, erm, I'll just be outside . . . Calling Moony and Wormtail, y'know." He laughed nervously and left the room.

"Harry." James stated simply, his eyes never leaving his son. "Harry James Potter."

Lily turned to look up at him, her eyes wide with shock. "James, how did you know? I never told you before, so . . ."

James smiled, and leaned down to kiss Lily. "It was the letters. The letters you were writing. I was walking back to the United States Auror Headquarters to sign out and head back home when I spotted Mischievous, my owl. He flew down to me and I was shocked to see that he had letters in your handwriting."

Lily grinned. "As soon as I get home I'm going to cook that brilliant owl a nice . . . rat pie, or something."

The two laughed for a few minutes, both grinning down at Harry who was sleeping in Lily's arms. "I guess Mischievous knew you needed help and that I was able to receive mail again. Owls are rather strange, aren't they? Nobody knows how they know the things that they know."

"You know what I know, James? That I love you." Lily said softly.

"I love you too, Lily Flower."

_

* * *

_

_Dear Moony and Wormtail,_

_Lily Flower finally gave birth! Oh, and James finally came back, that prat. They named the baby Harry James Potter, and let me tell you, Lils and Jamsie-Boy were all goo-goo eyes for that kid. I don't know what it is, but I just don't see it . . . I walked down into the nursery where the other newborns were and I STILL think those ones look like some sort of chicken, so it isn't just little Prongs Jr. Hmm, maybe I'm just not a baby person, because I– _

"Excuse, me? Could you get that for me, please?"

Sirius glanced up from his letter to see a medi-witch holding a newborn. She was gesturing the best she could while holding the infant at a pacifier that was resting a few inches away from Sirius's foot. All that registered in Sirius's mind was that the woman in front of him had long blonde hair, bright green eyes, and was wearing a rather short uniform.

"Oh, of course!" he exclaimed, bending down to retrieve the pacifier.

The medi-witch smiled brightly and made to take the pacifier from him but Sirius resisted. "Ah, ah, ah. One moment!" With a wave of his wand, Sirius muttered a cleansing charm and than handed the item to the medi-witch.

"Thank-you!" she said happily, beaming.

Sirius grinned his crooked smile and leaned against the wall beside them. "We don't want this cute little guy here to get sick, now, do we? Because I don't know about you, but I _love_ children. Especially newborns."

"That's why I became a medi-witch! Wow, and I thought you'd be the kind of man who didn't appreciate an infant's qualities. The single good-looking ones always don't, but you for one have proved me wrong!" gasped the medi-witch, cradling the baby in her arms.

Sirius shrugged, waggling his eyebrows. "What can I say? I'm special! I real baby person at that! The name is Sirius Black, and you are?"

"Marissa. So nice to meet you, Mr. Black. In fact," Marissa shifted the infant ever so slightly and pulled a business card from the cleavage of her shirt. "Call me sometime."

Sirius nodded, his trademark smile still gracing his features. "That I will, fair maiden." He watched for a moment as Marissa walked away, his eyes sight trailing downward. With a smirk, he turned back to his letter.

– _Guys? Forget about what I said before. Babies are righteous, they help you get babes._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Padfoot, aka Guy who has date with hot girl tonight and whose new best fried is Mr. Harry James Potter_


End file.
